Aizawl: Neuhof School Band from Neuhof English Medium School, Mizoram, has won the Yamaha Teens Rock 2026 – Battle of the Bands, emerging as the national champion at the grand finale held in Bengaluru on Sunday.
The band, which represented the Northeast Zone, was crowned the winner after competing against five other finalist bands at the Prestige Centre for Performing Arts in Bengaluru. The competition was organised by Yamaha Music India and powered by Trinity College London. The win comes with a prize of Rs 4.5 lakh worth of Yamaha instruments.
CS Howlers from CS Academy, Tamil Nadu, finished as the first runner-up, while The Apricity from Shri Hanuman Mandir Dharamshala School, West Bengal, was named second runner-up.
The 2026 edition attracted more than 680 registrations and over 270 video submissions from young bands across India. Six bands eventually made it to the grand finale, with five qualifying as zonal winners and one securing its place through public voting.
Neuhof School Band had earlier secured the Northeast Zone title, earning a place among the five zonal winners at the national finale. Yamaha said the competition is open to bands from academic schools and music academies, with performers aged 18 and below.
The grand finale featured performances by the finalist bands as well as special performances by students from KM Music Conservatory, The Sunshine Orchestra and Yamaha artists.
The young musicians also performed in the presence of Yamaha Music India brand ambassador and composer A.R. Rahman.The performances were judged on musicality, creativity, stage presence and overall performance quality by a panel comprising Yamaha artists Ranjit Barot, Gulraj Singh and Rhythm Shaw, along with Stuart Briner, Director of Music and Performing Arts at Trinity College London.
Neuhof English Medium School, which was established in 1984, places emphasis on English-language education as well as co-curricular activities, including music and other activities.